England players WILL wear poppies on black armbands during Saturday's match after Fifa backs down

England's footballers will be allowed to wear poppies for Saturday’s match at Wembley after Prince William and David Cameron intervened in the row.

World football’s ruling body Fifa reluctantly bowed to mounting pressure to permit the team to display the symbol to mark Remembrance Day – but only if it is printed on black armbands.

The climbdown comes after the Mail revealed that players had been barred from properly honouring Britain’s war dead.

Support: Prince William and David Cameron's intervention has resulted in Fifa climbing down and allowing the players to the poppy on black armbands

But critics last night blasted Fifa president Sepp Blatter for not allowing the Football Association to stitch embroidered poppies on to the team shirts for the friendly against world champions Spain. Fifa’s U-turn happened after Prince William and the Prime Minister waded into the row by writing letters to the organisation.

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The Duke of Cambridge – who lost two close friends in Iraq and Afghanistan – penned a strongly worded note expressing his ‘dismay’.

Mr Cameron, meanwhile, blasted the ‘appalling’ decision to ban poppies worn out of respect for servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Mark of respect: Frank Lampard wears a mock-up of the armband players will wear in Saturday's friendly fixture

Less than an hour after the letters were sent, Fifa – whose reputation is at an all-time low following a corruption scandal – announced the compromise.

It means the FA adheres to strict Fifa rules banning political symbols being displayed on national shirts, while football chiefs in Zurich save face.

A spokesman for the Duke, who is FA president, said he was ‘happy’ with the move. Mr Cameron welcomed the ‘sensible way forward’.

The Royal British Legion said it was ‘delighted that England players will be able to wear their poppy with pride’.

But Peter Hodge, secretary of the Normandy Veterans’ Association, said: ‘It is about time Fifa came to their senses but it is a disgrace it took them so long. To suggest the poppy is political is pathetic.

‘But this doesn’t go far enough. The poppy is a wonderful emblem that every nation would be proud of. Fifa should have allowed it on the chests of the players, not on their arms.’

'The Duke was very angry that Fifa had now allowed the wearing of the red poppy - as a serving officer in the Armed Forces, who has lost friends and ancestors to conflict, he was particularly incensed. I can't tell you how strongly he feels about this'

The Prince's spokesman

The Mail revealed on Saturday that Fifa was refusing to let England footballers wear embroidered poppies on their shirts.

The organisation refused to reverse the decision claiming kits could not display political, commercial or religious messages.

Fifa also feared problems if England ever faced Germany around Remembrance Sunday, with poppies possibly causing tensions between the sportsmen of nations who twice fought world wars.

The FA argued that Fifa misunderstood the emotion of the occasion to the British public. But football chiefs in Zurich refused to budge.

In the face of widespread public anger, Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke issued a ‘final statement’ on Tuesday insisting there would be no change.

England instead drew up plans to take to the field at Wembley wearing plain black armbands with poppies adorning their tracksuit tops for the national anthems and one-minute silence before kick-off.

But as the FA prepared to concede defeat, Prince William and Mr Cameron intervened.

A source close to the Duke told the Mail he was ‘livid’ about Fifa’s decision.

A giant poppy was put on display by military personnel before the Premier League match between Liverpool and Swansea City at Anfield on Saturday

Tradition: Poppies are laid at the foot of the Cenotaph during Remembrance Sunday in Whitehall last year

He said: ‘The Duke was very angry to hear the news this morning that Fifa had not allowed the wearing of the red poppy on the shirts – as a serving officer in the Armed Forces, who has lost friends and ancestors to conflict, he was particularly incensed. I can’t tell you how strongly he feels about this.’

In 2007, Second Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, a 24-year-old intelligence officer who was at Sandhurst military academy with William, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The same year his Army ‘mentor’, Major Alexis Roberts, was blown up in southern Afghanistan.

Mr Cameron wrote to Mr Blatter stating that the entire country was ‘baffled and angry’ by the ‘appalling’ decision to ban the poppies.

Asked later if the Prime Minister believed the players were free to defy the Fifa ban, a No 10 spokesman said: ‘Yes, of course.’

The FA were reluctant to ignore Fifa’s initial ruling, however. Under Fifa’s Laws of the Game, the referee could instruct any player to leave the pitch if they contravened kit rules.

And with all 90,000 tickets sold for the game, the FA felt it could not risk it being abandoned. Now a poppy the same size as features on club shirts will be printed on the black armband. Wales players will wear similar poppy armbands for their match with Norway and Scotland in their game against Cyprus.

A British soldier has been killed by an explosion in Afghanistan. The serviceman, from the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was on patrol in Babaji, central Helmand.